17 Promises To Make Yourself Before The Start Of The New Year

1. I will not allow people to mistreat me. It doesn’t matter what my background is, or what I look like, or what I’ve accomplished. I don’t have to earn the right to be treated well. I’m a human being, and that automatically gives me the right to expect people to treat me with dignity. I will do everything in my power to make sure they do, and I will make sure that I treat everyone I encounter with equal dignity. 

2. I will be kind to myself about my body and my physical appearance. It’s important for me to feel good about myself and my body, but I will not obsess over a few pounds or some cellulite. Because everybody has flaws. Even the most perfect celebrities. Stressing out over things I don’t like about myself is a waste of time, and there are so many better things I could be doing instead. 

3. I will make an effort to increase my knowledge. It doesn’t matter what I’m increasing my knowledge about, as long as I’m doing it. I will do this through whatever I find most stimulating: reading or watching the news or meeting new people or anything in between. As long as I am learning something new, I’m doing it right. 

4. I will work harder to stay in touch with those I’m closest to. Technology can cause a lot of issues, but it is also an incredible thing. I can see my mom’s face with the touch of a button, even if she’s 500 miles away. I can text my high school best friend and let her know I’m thinking of her, and it will take me less than 10 seconds. I have no excuse when it comes to staying in touch with the people who are most important to me, so this year I will do a better job. 

5. I will listen to people when they’re speaking to me, instead of thinking about what I’m going to say next. Because I’ve spent way too much of my life doing the latter, and I’ve already missed some really great advice and some really funny stories. I know that it’s human nature to relate everything back to ourselves, but I will honestly try to listen instead of just appearing as if I’m listening. 

6. I will keep an open mind about people who are different from me, even if I truly believe I’m in the right and they’re in the wrong. I will make an effort to remember that everybody comes from a different background, a different education, and a different life. I know at times there may be people that I can barely stand to listen to, but I will try to at least see things from their perspective, so that I can broaden my horizons if nothing else. 

7. I will take care of my body. I will do this in whatever way I choose – exercising, making more home-cooked meals for myself, buying vegetables and fruit at the grocery store, actually going to the grocery store, eating breakfast, not drinking too heavily, or whatever else I see as being helpful. 

8. I will make an effort to smile at strangers. I will try to remember the times when I was having a bad day and someone randomly smiled at me, and I will try to remember how much better it made me feel. I will try to be this person for someone else as much as I can. 

9. I will make an effort to sincerely say thank you to everyone that does something for me. Whether it’s someone holding the door open for me or a friend who’s been there for me during a difficult time. I will make sure they know I appreciate them. 

10. I will drink 64 ounces of water a day, so that when celebrities say their diet secret is just drinking water, I can tell them that they’re lying and then I can dramatically demand the truth. (This will all happen in an Instagram comment and nothing will ever come of it). 

11. I will send flowers or cards to people that have made my life better and brighter. Because most of the time, I don’t tell these people that they are bright spots in my life, even though that’s something they deserve to know. I will make sure to remind them how special they are to me and to the world. 

12. I will not feel guilty if I spend the occasional weekend being a hermit and doing nothing. Everybody deserves a chance to recharge, and nothing is more beneficial for recharging my batteries than spending a weekend watching Netflix underneath piles and piles of blankets. Never underestimate the power of watching 18 episodes of The Office in a row. 

13. I will force myself to take a really long, hot shower every once in a while. Not the quick, I’m-already-10-minutes-late warm shower that happens every day. An actual long, no-time-limit shower where I can get out whenever I please. 

14. When I see someone in a tv show that I recognize but I can’t figure out why, I will try to go at least 5 minutes before I give up and look them up on IMDB. 

15. I will not Google my symptoms whenever I’m feeling sick. Because every time I do, it tells me that “fatigue” is a major symptom of cancer and then I spend the next 2 days thinking that I’m dying. 

16. I will try to be more present in the moment. When I’m having fun with my friends or spending time at home with my family, I will try not to check my phone. I will try and appreciate how content and happy I feel in these moments, so that I can go back to them at a time when I’m feeling sad and not quite myself. 

17. I will stop clicking on the online news articles that say Kylie Jenner got lip injections. But I will never stop wondering.